Shoestring-fastener.



' F. A. G UILLETTE.

SHOESTRING FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPLH. m5.

Paten Dec. 11,1911

.mamzz @Wi/tueoow FREDERICK A. GUILLETTE, or reonron, MASSACHUSETTS. I

sHoEs'r nIne-FAsrEnEa.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented D60, 11, 1917.

Application filed September 24, 1915. Serial No. 52,479;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK A. GUIL- LETTE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Taunton, in the county of Bristol and StateofMassachusetts, have invented new' and useful Improvements in ShoestringFasteners, of which the following is av specification.

This invention relates to shoe string fas teners and the principalobject of the invention is to provide simple and efiicient means forconnecting the ends of a shoe string in order to obviate the necessityof tying the same and to provide a more secure method of holding theterminals of the string.

Further objects'of the invention will appear as the following specificdescription is read in connection with the accompanying drawing, and 1nwhich Figure 1 is a side elevation of a'shoe showing one method oflacing the same with the improved fastener applied thereto.

iFig. 2 shows a perspective View of the fastener removed.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken through the fastener while applied tothe shoe.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a slightly modified form.

In the type of shoe shown in the drawings, the upper 1 is cut in theform of an button shoe and the marginal edges are provided with lacinghooks 2 to which the lace 3 is applied in the usual manner.

Adjacent the upper portion of the upper there is secured thereto aspring finger 4 having attached to its free terminal a substantiallysemi-spherical head 5 upon the upper portion of which is formed orattached a rearwardly extending flange or lip, the purpose of which willbe hereinafter described.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the spring finger is attached to an eye member? andthe ball head is arranged to fit a second eye memher 8 coupled theretoby a bar 9. In Fig. 4, the same type of head as is shown in Figs. 1 to 3is employed but in this instance, the head is attached to the upper arm11 of a U-shaped spring member the lower arm 12 Copies of this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner ofPatents,

of which has punched therefrom the hollow rivets 13 similar to therivets'14 employed in connecting the deviceshown in Figs. 1 to 4 to theupper.

In attaching the terminal end of the string or lace to the device thelace is passed under the head around the same, between the finger andthe overhanging'flange and is tightly pulled so as to carry the loop ofthe string beneath the ball head, thereby forming a half hitch aroundthe finger which is held against slipping by reason of the tension onthe lace pulling the confined part of the lace against the head. A quickpull of the terminal end of the lace in the opposite directionwillrelease it from the, head.

What is claimed is 1. A shoe lace fastener comprising a pair ofconnected hollow rivets, a spring arm secured to one of the rivets andprojecting toward the other rivet, a semi-spherical head mounted uponthe free terminal of the spring arm and held in engagement with theother rivet. by said arm, and a rearwardly extending lip or flange'onthe head forming a lace receiving channel between the head and arm. 7

- 2. As a new article of manufacture, a shoe lace fastener embodying abar, a pair of hollow rivets carried at the opposite ends of said bar, aspring arm integrally formed at one end of the bar and projecting towardthe opposite or free end thereof, a semispherical head mounted on thefree terminal of the spring arm and held in frictional engagement wlththe other rivet by the influence of said arm, and a rearwardly extendinglip on the "outer marginal edge of the head and disposed in spacedrelation with respect to said arm, forming a lace receiving channelbetween the confronting faces of said lip and arm, substantially as andfor the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK A. GUILLETTE. Witnesses:

HENRY J. PoNDRIER, JOSEPH P. BONDREAU.

Washington, D. 0..

